A Victory for AM Radio – Legislation to keep AM radio in the dashboard of your car or pickup is on its way to the House floor. The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 45-to-two Wednesday. The availability of AM radio in vehicles was jeopardized by major automobile manufacturers. The bill passed in a key Senate committee over a year ago and still awaiting floor action in the Upper Chamber. There is a sense of urgency with little time on the congressional calendar. AM radio is a lifeline for rural communities during an emergency. It also provides agriculture news, local information, local sports and more. The Red River Farm Network encourages you to let your lawmakers know the importance of AM radio and push this bill over the finish line this year.

Interest Rate Cut – The Federal Reserve cut the federal lending rate by a half-percent. This is the first interest rate reduction in four years. “The U.S. economy is in a good place and our decision is designed to keep it there,” reported Fed Chair Jerome Powell. After the interest rate announcement, the Dow and S&P 500 rose to new all-time highs.

Rate Cut to Influence Ag Commodities – Northern Crops Marketing and Investments President Brad Paulson expects the interest rate cuts to support the commodity sector. “The bear market in commodities started when they started raising rates and if you remember back in the 1980s when rates went really high, that was the beginning of the end of that party starting in 1980 and it didn’t bottom out until 1985 or ’86.”

Market Doesn’t Like Uncertainty – Pluto Commodities market analyst Domenic Varricchio sees interest rates as one part of the uncertainty for the grain and livestock markets. “By golly, by the end of this month, Congress is going to have to figure out whether or not they want to go ahead and raise the debt ceiling or not,” saod Varricchio. “I can say for sure cattle markets don’t like it when the government shuts down. We lose a bunch of the reports that we get from the USDA. I suppose that would also throw the October supply and demand report into jeopardy if we went through a shutdown.”

What’s Hot, What’s Not in the Markets – Outside markets, like the Dow and gold, are in the ‘hot’ category for markets. “I’d throw cattle in there, too,” said Randy Martinson, president, Martinson Ag Risk Management. “That market has also seen pretty good trends, mainly because of what’s happening with the economy.” Martinson struggled to find anything that was “not hot,” but leaned into corn and soybeans as lukewarm. Listen to the report.

Weather Premium Not Built Into Market Yet – The Money Farm President Allison Thompson sees a sideways trading range continuing in the short term. “What the market really needs is some supply and demand news and without that we’re trending here,” said Thompson. Harvest pressure is major market feature for the end of September and early October. “That’s also the planting time for South America so any updates on their planting progress, when their monsoons arrive if they arrive, and given that markets are trending sideways I don’t think we’re seeing any weather premium built into this market yet.” The Money Farm and KRJB Radio hosted AgFest this past Thursday in Ada, Minnesota.

Deal Made on Stopgap Spending Bill – House and Senate leaders have come to terms on a bill to prevent a government shutdown. This continuing resolution will be in place until December 20. The House Rules Committee will rule on the bill this afternoon and a vote in the full House is expected on Wednesday.  A six-month spending bill, which was rejected last week, included controversial voter ID language. The farm bill also expires at the end of the month, but it is not included in the continuing resolution.

Farm Bill Delays – In a news conference about meat processing and the supply chain, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was asked about the farm bill. The USDA leader said farmers and ranchers want certainty. The five-year farm bill was supposed to have been completed by 2023, it had been promised by a number of folks in early 2024, in mid-2024 and by the end of September, none of which obviously is happening.” Vilsack said the talk about finalizing a farm bill before the end of the year is a positive sign.” An increase in reference prices is being sought. Vilsack said that can happen in one of two ways; either a practical approach to deal with reference prices within the current budget framework or by adding new money to the program.

Stabenow Could be the Decisive Factor for Farm Bill Passage – Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow will not be in that role in 2025. American Sugarbeet Growers Association President Neil Rockstad believes that increases the chance for Congress to finalize a farm bill this year. “Stabenow is a crafty negotiator, she’s a tough negotiator and she wants a legacy left for Michigan and for the United States farmer,” said Rockstad. “I think the fact that she’s retiring and not running for re-election she will want to get this done.” Ranking Member John Boozman was on the Senate floor this past week promoting an ad hoc disaster program to avoid a farm financial crisis. Rockstad said that may complicate the farm bill process, “but, it does shine a light on the implications of rising input costs and the fact many crops were put in the ground this spring with no chance to make a profit or break even.”

MFU Minute – Minnesota Farmers Union President Gary Wertish participated in the National Farmers Union Fly-in to Washington D.C. to promote passage of the farm bill. Listen to the update. 

Ad Hoc Disaster and Farm Bill Passage Needed – A farm crisis is on the horizon. Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman made that point in a speech on the Senate floor Tuesday. The Arkansas Republican said market prices are far below the cost of production and many farmers will be unable to secure an operating loan next year. Two recommendations were made. “We need to provide emergency assistance to address the economic losses that farmers are facing associated with the 2024 crop,” said Boozman. “Farmers across the country need a bridge to help their family farms survive into next year.” Boozman said ad hoc emergency assistance does not reduce the need to pass a new farm bill this year. “The window to make this happen is closing quickly.”

Canola Losses at Harvest Time – Heavy rains in the Devils Lake, North Dakota area brought the harvest to a grinding halt this past week. “We have canola that’s been sprayed so now it’s going to get critical to get on those fields,” said Jason Hanson, owner, Rock and Roll Agronomy. “Things are just opening up because we had a little bit of hail with some of this stuff and it came down pretty hard.”

Hail Takes a Bite Out of Kenmare Crop – Northern Canola Growers Association Vice President Mike Brekhus says the canola harvest results are dependent on weather conditions. “We’ve had a lot of hail this summer so yields are kind of all over the place,” said the Kenmare farmer. “We have some that’s totally gone to some that are in the 2,000 pound range, but it’s all over the place.” Brekhus finished his canola harvest and is preparing to harvest soybeans.”We’re probably a couple of weeks away from beans right around our area.”

A Challenging Year in the Combine – Crops in the Langdon, North Dakota area look tough after recent heavy rains. Kevin Waslaski says harvest came to a screeching halt. Harvest conditions are also difficult. “I was just at John Deere and they said there were 12 combines with rock congestion at the shop that they have done so far. The crop is lodged and people going down and trying to get all the wheat and canola is lodged bad so it’s a struggle.” Waslaski says area farmers had been making good harvest progress before the rains.

Mud Slows Harvest – Rains this past week shut down Bill Ongstad’s pinto bean harvest. “We’re still okay but the next rain we get will be ‘a get the truck stuck’ rain.” Ongstad, who farms at Harvey, North Dakota, says the crops are doing well despite the rain. “This is my 50^th crop and I’ve never seen a crop that went the entire season without being in moisture stress.”

Disappointing Yields – New Rockford, North Dakota farmer Jeff Schafer started combining pinto beans last week. “The first field there wasn’t, probably a little disappointing in the yield.” Schafer said the 6.5 inches of rain during the last two weeks of August were not good for any of his crops. Schafer is thankful for the warm September to get the corn crop to maturity.

Dealing With Wheat Quality Issues – The excessive rain at the end of the spring wheat harvest is causing quality concerns. Valley United Co-op General Manager Paul Coppin says it is critically important to know your wheat quality. “You know we have some issues with what you have in the bin right now,” said Coppin. “Number One, take care of it, keep air on it, and maintain what you have so it doesn’t go down in quality further.” Coppin believes the market will eventually adapt to the quality of wheat in the bin and the discounts may not be as bad down the road.”

Wrapping Up Wheat – Wolf Harvesting is finishing up wheat harvest in the Rolette, North Dakota area. Craig Wolf says rains delayed things a bit, but the wheat crop being cut looks good. “We had one good crop. I heard some places, were talking about some diseases, but everything we’ve done has been really good wheat. Protein’s been good and the test weight has been really good.”

Sugar Content on the Rise – With such a wet growing season, Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative Vice President of Agriculture Mike Metzger says recent dry weather has helped with yield and sugar content. “Yields right now, they’re all over the board. We’ve got guys that are lifting upper teens, and we have other individuals that already have 30 tons plus per acre.” After a slow start, Metzger says sugar conent is rebounding. “As far as quality goes, we started out here at 12 percent sugar which is down about two percentage points from where we normally are. We’re starting to see that crawl up closer to 16 percent and we hope that can get up closer to 18 percent over the next couple of weeks.”

Navigating Crop Challenges in Southern MN – The wet start to the season was detrimental to the beet crop in southern Minnesota. “Yields are variable, a little bit on the lighter side as you go south and east across our growing area,” says Mark Bloomquist, research director, Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative. Sugar content has been lower but the dryness in the area recently has helped it increase.

Too Much Water – Hankinson, North Dakota farmer Joe Mauch started his dry edible bean harvest two weeks ago. “We’re about about half done. The first ones were kind of average and the stuff we have left is not very good. They’re really short; they’re really green. It’s just a hit-and-miss thing I guess. Too much water.” The sugarbeets and soybeans are next on the harvest schedule. “We’ve got a good field, we’ve got a bad field and all over in between.”

Heat Delays Potato Harvest – According to Professional Agronomy Services crop consultant Brad Guck, the combines have started to roll on the dryland soybean acres in the Perham, Minnesota area. However, digging potatoes has been delayed. “Potato harvest is a little bit behind where the local growers would like it to be at this time of year due to the extra heat and not being able to harvest quite as rapidly as they’d like for long-term storage,” said Guck. “We haven’t had rain in a while so we do see some irrigators running to keep soil moisture levels up a little bit and hopefully they have good digging here once we cool off a little bit.”.

Fielding Questions – In the latest edition of the Fielding Questions podcast, AgCountry Farm Credit Services Marketing Education Specialist Cody Didier discusses the latest market trends, including interest rates, South American weather and U.S. production. Fielding Questions is a collaboration between AgCountry Farm Credit Services and the Red River Farm Network. Listen to the podcast.

September Heat Welcomed – After an excessively wet start to the season, J and O Seed owner Jesse Olson says the crop in his Murdock, Minnesota area adapted and doesn’t look terrible. “The last two weeks here have been pretty dry and the crops have been moving pretty fast.” Olson believes the warm September weather will help the crops finish sooner than he originally thought.

MN Corn Matters – Megan Schossow with the Upper Midwest Agriculture Safety Health Center Outreach Director Megan Schossow is featured in the latest edition of Minnesota Corn Matters. Learn more about National Farm Health and Safety Week in this update.

Pioneer Agronomy Update – With the heat seen in the past couple of weeks, the corn advancing quickly to the finish line. Grain moisture levels are in the range of 30-to-35 percent and will need time to dry down to harvestable moisture levels. Pioneer Field Agronomist Eric Lagge said it is important to now monitor stalk integrity. “With excessive rainfall, we’ve probably leeched or lost more nitrogen than we expected,” said Lagge. “Under these conditions, the plants will remove nutrients from the lower leaves and the stalk.” Those issues should be a consideration when prioritizing the harvest schedule. Listen to the report.

PNW Shipping Costs are Rising – The cost of moving grain to the Pacific Northwest is up ten percent on a year-to-year basis for corn and soybeans. According to the USDA Grain Transportation Report, higher freight rates for trucking, rail and ocean shipping are up. In the second quarter, transportation costs for corn to the PNW accounted for 39 percent of landed costs. For soybeans, that total was 22 percent. That’s up 11 percent from a year ago for corn and up five percent for soybeans.

Mixed Messages – Surface Transportation Board Vice Chair Karen Hedlund voiced frustration with the wide disparity in the testimony at this past week’s hearing. “From our economists and consultants, we heard a pretty grim story; from our Class I railroads, it’s hey, look at all the investments we’re making, we’re doing great,” said Hedlund. “Somewhere in between we have to figure out what’s really going on.”

Ag Groups Testify at STB Hearing – Agriculture was well represented in the two-day Surface Transportation Board hearing in Washington, D.C. Growth Energy Senior Vice President Chris Bliley testified that the biofuels business depends on reliable rail service. “There’s a lot of growth opportunity out there for us, particularly with low-carbon fuel markets on the West Coast,” said Bliley. “It all really hinges on efficient delivery of our product and that’s something that we are very much focused on.” The Fertilizer Institute Vice President of Government Affairs Ryan Bowley said his industry depends on Class I railroads. However, the fertilizer business continues to deal with service delays and higher freight rates. “For fertilizer companies, this has made questions like ‘how much more will this shipment cost me to move?’ ‘will this shipment arrive within the window the railroad estimated?’ Unfortunately, frequent answers of “a lot more,’ ‘no, it will be late’ and ‘The railroad doesn’t guarantee service’ are felt both by fertilizer companies and our farmer customers.” Railroad officials said they want to grow but need a predictable regulatory system.

Low River Levels for Harvest Rush – North Dakota State University Crops Economist Frayne Olson expects river transportation could be a problem this year. Mississippi water levels are lower than normal in the lower part of the river. When harvest season ramps up, problems on the river will be evident. “Once that harvest rush hits, there’s more of an explosion.” Olson expects the export volume demand is the biggest factor when looking at river transportation issues.

Chinese Response to Tariffs Anticipated – With new tariffs against China going into effect September 27, American Farm Bureau Federation Senior Director of Government Affairs Dave Salmonsen wonders what the retaliation from China will look like. “Anytime you put a tariff on a product, you have to be concerned, and we’re always concerned, could there be some retaliation? The past experience was increased tariffs which hiked the price of our products into that foreign market, and directly impacted prices our farmers receive back here in the U.S.” Salmonsen says tariffs are part of most countries’ trade agreements and likely aren’t going away any time soon. “Countries want to nurture their own industries and don’t want to have to completely rely on exports. So, use of tariffs is a tool. I think we’ll see it at least in this arena for a while to come.”

Watching South American Weather – Harvest pressure and weather remain major factors for the grain market. Global Commodity Analytics and Consulting President Mike Zuzolo says the soybean market will be susceptible to South American weather forecasts. I think that would be more negative to the soybeans versus the corn when it comes to not having any planting delay potential,” said Zuzolo. “The colleagues in the trade that I talked to are most worried about soybeans being utilized as a drought-type crop.”

PFS Production and Profit Series – Peterson Farms Seed Product Manager Dennis Schultze is featured in the latest edition of the PFS Production and Profit Series. PFS has a unique IDC testing program. “We wait and see IDC conditions in June and we go in and do our testing in a very small and uniform area in a farmer’s field.” At V3, these plots are scored for IDC. Find out more about this process and what it means for your farm online. 

IDC Scores Released – North Dakota State University has released its soybean iron deficiency chlorosis ratings from the past growing season. A total of 170 traited soybean varieties and 21 conventional varieties were evaluated. This information can be used as farmers make their seed decisions for 2025. With the wet, cool conditions, IDC symptoms stretched out for a longer time period this year. The North Dakota Soybean Council provided funding for the IDC studies.

Rounds Seeks GAO Review – South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds has requested a Government Accountability Office review of the Chevron doctrine’s impact on agriculture. This past summer, the Supreme Court overturned the Chevron doctrine which had required courts to uphold a federal agency’s interpretation of certain statutes. Rounds specifically wants the GAO to review the impact on USDA, EPA, the Interior Department and the Department of Energy.

EPA EV Regs Challenged in Court – The Pacific Legal Foundation is asking the courts to drop the mandate for electric vehicles. EPA rules for tailpipe emissions downplay the role of biofuels. In addition to the Pacific Legal Foundation, attorneys general from 26 states and a number of agriculture groups have asked the federal appeals court to throw out this rule. The groups cite the recent Supreme Court decision about the Chevron doctrine.

A National Solution to E15 Policy Sought – Renewable Fuels Association President Geoff Cooper is looking ahead to 2025. An emergency waiver was granted for E15 and summer driving, but Cooper said that is not a long-term solution. “We do have eight Midwest states that will now have the ability to sell E15 year-round at least in their states and they won’t need to worry about emergency waivers ever again. However, we still have dozens of other states where that summertime barrier remains in place. We still need Congress to step up and pass a simple legislative fix that would permanently resolve this issue on a nationwide basis.” The eight states approved for year-round E15 starting in 2025 include Minnesota and South Dakota. North Dakota opted to seek a national solution.

Canola Minute – Here’s the latest Canola Minute from the Northern Canola Growers Association. This week, NCGA Executive Director Barry Coleman joins us to discuss the biofuels market. Listen to the report. 

Good Diesel Supplies for Harvest Run – While most farm input costs remain firm, CHS Senior Vice President of Energy Jason Schwantz said the fall diesel fuel prices look favorable. “Refinery run rates have been running at some historical highs and the supply chain seems to be in a fairly good spot,” said Schwantz. “There’s an extremely large crop out there and how fast it comes on with this warm weather that we’ve been having could be a factor (for future price trends).”

Land Values Hold – Commodity prices continue to be a drag on the farm economy. AgCountry Farm Credit Services loan officer Mick Thompson remains optimistic. Farmland values are relatively stable. “We just had a sale a couple of days ago southwest of Ada that went for $7,500 (per acre). That was in the neighborhood of where some land sold earlier this year for $8,500 so it’s holding,” said Thompson. “There’s a lot of wind out of the sails right now and that happens when commodities go down, but we don’t buy or sell land for one year. You buy land for a generation.” A significant amount of land will be sold by auction in early October in the Ada, Minnesota area and Thompson said that will provide insight into the land market. Thompson was part of Thursday’s AgFest program in Ada.

Is the Decline of Net Income Softening Farmland Values? – As net farm incomes climbed to new highs in the early 2020s, so did farmland values. With 2024’s farm income reversal, NDSU Agricultural Finance Specialist Bryon Parman expects farmland values to follow that downward trend. “There’s been a pretty rapid increase for about a three-year period. Now one of the things that we’re starting to see is some resistance by producers to going out and paying even higher prices on farmland or higher cash rental rates. Parman also notes the difference in farmland values and cash rental rates. Though there has always been a gap between the two, Parman says it’s wider now than ever. “At some point, there has to be some reconciliation in the future, and that would mean either farmland prices coming down or rental rates going up relatively quickly to close that gap between the two and that’s going to depend a lot on what incomes do.”

Cattle Groups Partner for Freedom Rally – The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association and R-CALF USA plan to co-host a ‘Livestock Producers Freedom Rally’ in early October. The event will focus on their efforts to overturn the mandatory electronic identification ear tags for cattle moving interstate. State groups are supporting this effort, including the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association, South Dakota Farmers Union and the Independent Beef Association of North Dakota. The rally will be held October 7^th at Rapid City.

MN Beef Update – Minnesota Beef Council CEO Kelly Schmidt is featured in this week’s Minnesota Beef Update. At events, like the Minnesota State Fair, consumers often ask where they can source beef locally. Schmidt says the Minnesota Beef Checkoff has a new local beef directory. Find out more in this update.

Mostly Nuetral Report – According to USDA’s Cattle-on-Feed Report, the total inventory in feedlots was 11.2 million head. That’s up less than one percent from one month ago. Placements are down nearly 1.5 percent at 1.9 million head. Marketings are down 3.6 percent from August 1 at 1.8 million head.

Policy and Education – The North Dakota Stockmen’s Association Annual Convention and Trade Show has two primary objectives. NDSA President Jason Leiseth said the first priority is “the business session for our association where we elect new officers and directors.” Policy is also established during these sessions. Education is the other goal.The convention rounded out Leiseth’s term as president. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”

ND Stockmen Consider Measure 4 – North Dakota’s Measure 4, which would eliminate property taxes, was part of the policy discussion at the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association business meeting. “It definitely is a contentious issue,” said Erika Kenner, District 1 director. “There were people on both sides with great discussions. I think we can all agree that changes should be made to the property tax structure and relief given, but there are concerns about how this is being done. With it being a constitutional measure, those can be hard to change once they get enacted in law.”

Meeting the Beef Demand – With strong demand for beef, farmers and ranchers have been hesitant to retain heifers, bringing the U.S. cow herd to its lowest level in over 70 years. At the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association, Kintyre rancher Randy Weigel said the low number of cattle is not concerning. “What they have to remember is we sell beef by the pound and not by the head.”

Beef Checkoff at Work – An analysis of the beef checkoff was done for 2019-2023 to analyze the effectiveness of the program. Cattlemen’s Beef Board member Jason Schmidt summed it up at the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association Convention. “Our checkoff dollar return on investment increased by $1.50 since the last one came out. The current ROI as determined by an economist at Cornell is $13.41 for every dollar that we invest.” Schmidt also noted that this analysis featured indirect effects on the economy as well which were all impressive statistics. You can find the whole summary here.

Checkoff Delivers ROI – The North Dakota Beef Commission is the entity that oversees the beef checkoff. Board Chairman Jason Zahn sees events like the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association trade show as an opportunity to connect with ranchers. “We have producers that walk through and have questions about where their money is being spent. They also tell us where they would like us to spend their money.” Zahn emphasized the beef checkoff investment is used for beef promotion, marketing, research and education.

Preconditioning Pays – Weaning season is a time of great stress on calves. According to Zoetis Technical Services Veterinarian Phillip Kesterson, reducing that stress with a preconditioning program can go a long way toward improving their future health. “These young calves are just starting to develop or they’re continuing to develop their acquired immunity and maximizing this immunity at this time of increased stress greatly decreases the risk of illness and greatly improves their well-being and performance.” Kesterson suggests producers consider preconditioning calves for not just the health benefits, but the economic benefits, as well. “It helps every aspect of the downstream cattle enterprise. When we have less sickness, we have less labor required when the cattle move onto the feed yard, less sickness also results in cattle that eat better and perform better.” More information about preconditioning programs can be found at buildinghealthyherds.com. 

The Welcome Mat is Out – Riverview Dairy plans to build a 25,000-head dairy farm at Hillsboro and a 12,500-head dairy operation at Wahpeton. North Dakota Livestock Alliance Executive Director Amber Wood is pleased to see the growth in animal agriculture for the state. “North Dakota has never seen these kinds of opportunities before.” With the loss of dairy processing in the state, Wood hopes that the introduction of more dairies will lure dairy product processors as well.

Nominal Change in Dairy Output – In the 24 major dairy states totaled 18.1 billion pounds, up a fraction of one percent from a year ago. Minnesota milk production is down 2.8 percent. That’s with 8,000 fewer milk cows than one year ago. South Dakota milk output is up 8.5 percent. South Dakota dairy farmers added 16,000 cows to the state herd since August of 2023.

Milk Powder Exports Face New Tariffs – Colombia is calling for an additional 4.86 percent tariff on U.S. milk powder exports, claiming the product is unduly subsidized. The preliminary tariff will be in effect for four months while an investigation takes place. The U.S. Dairy Export Council and the National Milk Producers Federation are disappointed in the preliminary ruling. The dairy groups said the claims are baseless.

Protect The Milk Price at These Levels – Class III milk and cheese prices continue to be very strong. “The cow inventory is down and we’ve got some production tightness with HPAI/bird flu that’s been moving around the United States,” said Brandon Weigel, market analyst, Ever Ag. “Cheese prices have been extremely strong so it’s helping to keep that Class III and Class IV market really elevated.” Weigel encourages dairy farmers to be proactive and protect these prices. “We’ve got over $24 (Class III) vales in that November timeframe and if you look out to Q1, there are some strong values as well.”

Biosecurity is a Strength for ND Swine Sector – NDSU Extension Swine Specialist Taw Scaff is new on the job and eager to get to work with farmers. “We’re hoping to work alongside the North Dakota Livestock Alliance and the (North Dakota) Pork Council in promoting pork in the state.” Scaff feels there is room to grow North Dakota’s swine industry. “We don’t have a lot of hogs in the state so our biosecurity could be relatively high with hogs not being near each other.”

DNR Takes Input on Elk Herd Expansion – Minnesota Department of Natural Resources held a meeting this month to discuss the expansion of one of the state’s three elk herds. This was the first such meeting to be held in over ten years. “We wanted to give sort of a summary on what’s going on with elk management and we also gave a brief update on some upcoming research that will be occurring in the northwest,” said Kelsie LaSharr, DNR elk coordinator. Panel discussions featured members of the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Nature Conservancy. “We also had breakout groups to try and work with the constituents about their concerns and what they’re excited about when it comes to elk.” More meetings are planned, including sessions focused on elk-related depredation.

Dry Bean Scene – The dry bean harvest is moving forward. In this week’s Dry Bean Scene, we hear from Minnesota and North Dakota about the crop potential. Listen to the Dry Bean Scene.

Growing Opportunities in Solar Farming – Farmers no longer have to take agricultural land out of production to utilize solar panels. “Most of the land has some aspect of agrivoltaics, which means that you are able to farm under the panel,” says Scott Aranson, renewable energy developer, Demeter Land Development. “The things that you could do under the panels are increasing more and more as technology is improved.” Grazing and growing certain vegetables are common practices in agrivoltaics. Aranson says solar panels might be worth it when looking for revenue opportunities.

A Focus on Ag Education – The demand for ag teachers continues to grow. University of Minnesota Associate Professor Amy Smith believes lawmakers can help solve the ag teacher shortage. “Opportunities and resources like teacher loan forgiveness, additional scholarships, and grants can help offset some of the college costs and investment in that degree.” Smith encourages help from the grassroots level. “If every single ag teacher would identify one student in their program and tell them that they have what it takes to become an ag teacher, we would probably have an abundance at that point.” Thursday was National Teach Ag Day.

MFBF Minute – Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation Promotion and Education Committee Chair Steve Schoenfeld highlights farm safety in the latest edition of the MFBF Minute. Click here to hear the report. 

Seeking Student Athletes – A new online auction platform for agriculture has launched a NIL initiative for college athletes with a farming and ranching background. Tractor Tuesday CEO Zach Bosle says this program honors their farming background while supporting them on the field and in the classroom. “What they’ve been able to take from the farm into being student-athletes is really inspiring. The work ethic that goes into just being a college athlete but also having to go back home and do some chores; it’s always a lot of fun to hear these different stories in agriculture.” These NIL deals provide financial support and opportunities to showcase Rural America. Farm athletes can find more details on the Tractor Tuesday website.

Major Merger Happening in Beet Seed Biz – The parent companies behind the SES VanderHave, Hilleshog and Maribo sugarbeet seed brands are merging. Groupe Florimond Desprez has the SES VanderHave brand; DLF Seeds is behind Hilleshog and Maribo. The two companies have signed an agreement to merge their sugarbeet business. The new joint venture is called United Beet Seeds.

Antitrust Allegations Unfounded – A federal judge has dismissed a price-fixing lawsuit that claimed major crop protection companies conspired with wholesalers and retailers. The St. Louis-based judge said the plaintiffs failed to provide evidence Bayer, Corteva, Syngenta, BASF and violated antitrust laws.

Milestone Seen With Deere’s Targeted Herbicide Application – John Deere introduced its See & Spray technology in 2021. This system uses artificial intelligence and machine-based learning for targeted herbicide applications. Cameras scan over 2,100 square feet of crop per second. When weeds are recognized, the nozzles deliver a specific dose to where it is needed. Product Marketing Manager Josh Ladd says an important milestone has been realized. “This year, we saw nearly 8.3 million gallons of herbicide mix saved. If we take an average of 15 gallons an acre versus broadcast application, that’s equivalent to 12 and a half Olympic-sized swimming pools. We also saw significant savings across both See & Spray Ultimate and See & Spray Premium averaging 59 percent herbicide savings.” Over a million acres of corn, soybeans, cotton, and fallow ground was covered this season. In addition to the cost savings, Deere says this technology supports the farmers’ land stewardship and sustainability goals.

Ag Groups Contribute to GATE Project – Four Canadian grain groups will contribute more than $13 million for Winnipeg’s Global Agriculture Technology Exchange. Alberta Grains, SaskWheat, Manitoba Crop Alliance and Grain Farmers of Ontario are all members of Cereals Canada, which proposed the $102 million project.

USTR Promotes Hurst – Jon Hurst has been promoted within the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to be a special advisor for agriculture. Most recently, Hurst was a special assistant to Chief Agricultural Negotiator Doug McKalip. Previously, Hurst was a special assistant for external and intergovernmental affairs at USDA.

FMC Exec Now Leads CropLife America – FMC North America President Darren Dillenbeck is the new board chair for CropLife America. Dillenbeck succeeds Valent President and CEO Andy Lee, who was in that role for two years.

Newton Moves to Terrain – A well-known agricultural economist is the new executive head of Terrain’s team of ag economists and analysts. Most recently, John Newton was the chief economist for the Senate Agriculture Committee Republican Caucus. Before coming to Capitol Hill, Newton was chief economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation and National Milk Producers Federation. Newton succeeds Don Close, who launched Terrain in 2022. Close will remain with Terrain and focus on cattle and beef analysis. Terrain provides economic analysis for AgCountry Farm Credit Services, American AgCredit, Farm Credit Services of America and Frontier Farm Credit.

Wagner Promoted – Nufarm Americas has named Jeff Wagner its vice president of sales for U.S. crop protection. For the past five years, Wagner was a crop protection key accounts manager for Nufarm.

MBOLD Names New Coalition Chair – Compeer Financial President/CEO Jase Wagner is the new MBOLD chair, succeeding former Schwan’s CEO Dimitrios Smyrnios. The MBOLD coalition includes major food and agriculture companies, research institutions and nonprofit organizations including General Mills, Target, Cargill, Schwan’s, Compeere Financial, McKinsey and Company, AURI, University of Minnesota and AgriGrowth.

Celebrating Environmental Stewardship – The North Dakota Stockmen’s Association recognized the Dukart Ranch as the Environmental Stewardship Award winner at its annual convention. Derek and Angie Dukart along with their three kids and Derek’s parents use rotational grazing for their cattle. They will compete on a national level with state winners from South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas.

NDSA Recognizes Rancher of the Year – The North Dakota Stockmen’s Association awarded the Rancher of the Year award to Chuck and Annette Steffan of Belfield. They raise commercial Red Angus cattle on the Heart River Ranch and own a bovine donor housing and flushing facility.

A Top Hand – Russ Danielson was presented the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association Top Hand Award. Danielson, a North Dakota native, worked at NDSU as the beef herdsman and professor before taking a position at the American Simmental Association.